Iron pavement for streets



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

GEO. IV. BISHUP, OF BROOKLYN, YORK.

IRON PAVEMENT FOR STREETS.

i Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,662, dated June 30, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BIsHUP, of the city of Brooklyn, county ofKings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Iron Pavements for Streets and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication,in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a series of the blocks on my improvedplan. Figs. 2 and 3, vertical sections taken at the line A, a, and B, b,of Fi 1, and Fig. 4 a bottom view of one of the books.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to make a avement for streets of blocks ofiron so formed on their upper surface as to effectually prevent horsesfrom slipping and permit water with accumulating dirt to run 0H to theside gutters, and at the same time of securing rails thereto for a railroad.

In the accompanying drawings (a) re resents the upper surface of a castiron b ook formed with parallel grooves (b) running at or nearly atright angles to the line of the road way, and the surface of the ribs(c) between these grooves is composed of a series of inclined planes (d)and shoulders (c) presenting somewhat the appearance of a shingled roof,but with the inclination in the reversed direc-tion. The shoulders whichjoin the summits of each inclined plane with the base of the next arenot square across the ribs but curved. When these blocks are formed foraving a street with a railroad the upper surface of the ribs are formedwith cross grooves (j) of sufficient width to receive the rails (g) andfor the passage of the fianches of the rail road wheels, and the railsare then to be secured in place by screws, keys, wedges 0r othersuitable means but the grooves are not to be made so deep as the grooves(b) so that there will be sufficient space left below the rails for theassage of water and dirt. The upper part of the blocks can be made ofany suitable thickness, at the discretion of the constructor. Two of theedges are chamfered or beveled o as at (k, 7c) to an angle of aboutforty-five degrees, and the other two edges are beveled off to the sameangle but on the under face as at (l, l). The

proportional extent of this beveling may be varied at discretion, butall four edges to the same extent, and below the oblique faces producedby this beveling the four faces of the block are vertical, forming fouriianches (m, m, m, m), and these may be braced by two diagonal iianches(n, n), leaving on the under side of the block four triangularcompartments (o, o, o, o), so that when the flanches are buried in theearth or concrete, or other cement, composing the foundation of theroadway these cavities will be filled up and the ianches will then holdthe blocks firmly in place. The blocks thus formed are to be laid inopposite directions, commencing in the middle of the street andinclining downward on both sides from the middle to the sides, but withthe shoulders (e) facing the middle and the inclined faces (d) incliningtoward the sides of the street, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The series ofblocks overlap one another, so that two sides of one will overlap twocontiguous blocks and the other two sides will be overlapped by twocontiguous blocks, as represented by full lines; but if desired they maybe arranged as represented by dotted lines, in which case parts of twoblocks will be overlapped by one side of one block, and its oppositeside will be overla ped by part of two blocks, and instead of bevelingthe edges of the blocks for overlapping and being overlapped they may berabbeted as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 2 with a flat rabbet, orthe rabbet may be curved to interlock as represented by dotted lines inFig. 3. When the edges are either beveled or formed with fiat rabbets itwill be found advantageous in either case to bind the blocks to oneanother by means of wedge like spurs or tongues (t) projecting from theoverlapping faces and fitting into cavities in the overlapped faces.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a pavement thus formed will bevery durable and clean, as no portion of dirt will be produced from it,and any dirt that may accumulate upon it will be washed 0H from thesurface of the ribs into the grooves and thence along the grooves to theside gutters or sewers, and this, too, even when a railroad track islaidon such a pavement, and what is very important, it w1ll effectuallyprevent horses from slipping, for, as the surface of the ribs present aseries of inclined planes from the middle of the roadway on each side,there can be no tendency to slip laterally exce t toward the sidewalks,and this is effectua ly prevented by the series of the rails of a streetrailroad than any other Y plan with which I am acquainted.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of invention to theuse of all the features ofY my invention in connection, as good resultsmay be obtained by the use of some of them Without the others, but'thebest results will be obtained when all the parts are used in connection.Nor do I Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the making of theblocks of a quadrangular form, as other forms, such as the hexagonal,may be substituted, although I prefer the quadrangular form.

I do not claim broadly as my invention the aving of streets with blocksof cast iron, as tiiis has long been known; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. Making cast-iron paving blocks with a series of transverse draininggrooves, substantially as described, which, when completed and laid,will form grooves running from the middle ofthe street toward the sidegutters or sewers, as set forth.

2. I also claim forming the surface of iron paving blocks with a seriesof inclined planes and shoulders, substantially as described, to preventhorses from slipping, While at the same time carriages Will roll overthe surface Without serious impediment or concussions.

3. And I also claim the said series of inclined planes and shoulders incombination with 'the lateral grooves for draining, but which alsoanswer the purpose of preventing horses from slipping, as set forth.

4. And, finally, I claim the manner of uniting the iron blocks in layinga pavement by the alternating over and under lapping of the series ofblocks, substantially as described, whereby the blocks areenabled tosustain one another and thereby to more effectually maintain therequired grade.

G. W. BISHUP.

Witnesses:

WM. H. BISHOP, F. J. DE LA HUNT.

